I chose this book because I had already read the first book of the series, and I felt that it would be a good idea to read another apocalyptic themed book, and I thought Life as We Knew It was good.
The genres this book best fits into into: I think the genres this book best fits into are both science fiction and young adult. When most people think of something being science fiction they think of things like aliens, space, advanced technology, and things like that but really it doesn’t take much to make something science fiction, the reason that this book is a science fiction book is that it deals with the science of what would happen if something where to move the moon closer to earth. Some of the things that put this book in the young adult genre are that the main characters are mostly in their teens and are trying to survive this unexpected apocalyptic event, and Alex (the main character) must watch over his younger sisters and learn to be more responsible. Plot summary: This book begins with a 17 year old boy named Alex living out his life normally like everyone else. That all changed when a meteor hit the moon and knocked it closer to earth causing global chaos dangerous tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, food shortages, and wide spread disease do to hospital efficiency dropping. Alex’s parents both go missing leaving him responsible for taking care of his two younger sisters as New York falls into chaos and if it becomes necessary find a way for them to escape from it. Three Major Characters: Alex Morales: He is a 17 year boy of Puerto Rican descent who lives in New York and wail his dad was in Puerto Rico for his grandmother’s funeral and his mom was on a subway to the hospital for her job as an operating room technician the meteor hit the moon and they are presumed dead so he was left in charge of protecting his sisters and keeping them safe from all the new dangers presented by the moon. Like most everyone else he tried denying that things wouldn’t get back to normal at first but like most he eventually admitted to himself that things wouldn’t. As things continue to go from bad to worse Alex found it harder and harder to take care of his sisters and along the way he became more responsible, but he began blaming himself for the things that happened to him and his sisters. Julie Morales: She is a 12 year girl and one of Alex’s two younger sisters so she is also of Puerto Rican descent and she also lives with Alex in New York. Before the meteor hit she was spoiled and complained a lot so she had a harder time adapting to the new way of life caused by the meteor. She still complained after the meteor but not as much according to Alex. Julie was the first to give up on believing that their parents were still alive and was the least religious of the three of them. After her school has the students start gardening, she becomes very fond of it and is devastated when all the plants in the garden died because of the ash covering the sky blocking out the sun. Briana Morales (Bri): She is a 14 year girl and Alex’s other younger sisters so she is also of Puerto Rican descent and she also lives with Alex and Julie in New York. She is more responsible than Julie and does not complain as much she is also the most religious of the three of them and never gave up on believing that their parents were still alive. She is sent to a convent by Alex so he and Julie would have more food to eat and she would be fed by the nuns there while she was staying there. Eventually Bri gets asthma wail at the convent and is sent home by the nuns at the convent who belived due to her asthma she would be better off with Alex and Julie then working at the convent which was already having problems due to the lack of sun light to grow plants with.
Themes and big ideas: Surviving in an apocalypse, this idea is present in the fact that the characters are fighting against the odds for their survival hoping thing will come along and save them in this world were hope becomes harder and harder to keep. Another idea present in this book is survival of the strongest and most important because as things such as food and warmth become more and more scarce the weak who cannot obtain these things begin to die off wail the strong survive and scavenge these things and the important people just have things given to them. Another idea present in this book is the effect of an apocalypse on teens and how it can change the way they think and cause them to become more responsible sooner than they would under normal circumstances. Not giving up on hope, is also an idea present in this book as they continued to hold onto hope and they continued to survive with the help of that hope that so many had lost. Major conflict: The whole conflict begins when a meteor hits the moon and unexcitingly nocks it closer to earth causing global disasters and probably causing the death of the more than half the human population. The conflict this book focuses on is Alex trying to protect his two younger sisters Bri and Julie from the dangers created by the now closer to earth moon and also trying to keep them alive until they could take care of themselves or someone trust worthy could take care of them. Throughout the whole story he is trying to find ways to keep himself and his sisters feed and alive. Throughout the story Alex is faced with many difficult decisions that he has to make like when he sent Bri to a convent and when his uncle Jimmy asked to take Julie with him and his wife to help them take care of their kids, and he is always blaming himself for what happens (aside from the meteor hitting the moon).
The symbolism of this picture: The symbolism present in this picture is that it was the meteor hitting the moon knocking it closer to earth that started all of the disasters and chaos in the first place and if it where for the meteor then the whole story would not have taken place and life as everyone knew it would have continued as usual, but the meteor did exist and it did hit the moon and the moon did get knocked closer to earth causing many people to die and many more to have to try to survive under extreme conditions. Five new and unusual words: One new word I found was Onerous, “Not a particularly onerous task, but on that calls for strong legs and heart”, from its usage I believe it means something difficult or a difficult task. Another new word for me was bartering, “He was bartering liquor and cigars”, from its usage I believe it means to trade or exchange things. Another new word I found in this book was one created by the author of the book and that word was fluicide “There were a lot of bodies, and Alex could see, from the height of the piles, that many of them were new dead. Fluicide, he decided. Indefinitely was another new word I found in this book it was on a sign in the book that read, “Food deliveries suspended indefinitely”, by the use of this word I think it means for an unknown amount of time. Another word I found that I have not seen before is aphids, "but today, even moths and aphids sounded appetizing”, from its use I believe it is some sort of bug I have never heard of.
Similar existing works: There are some existing works out there that have similar themes and ideas to The Dead and the Gone such as Life as We Know It another book by Susan Beth Pfeffer which takes place in the same time as The Dead and the Gone but follows a different group of people trying to survive. Another similar work is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card another science fiction book that is similar because its main character is also in a situation of survival of the strongest. Another similar work is Lord of the Flies by William Golding it deals with a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island trying to survive it is similar because it also deals with survival of the strongest. Another similar work is Fallout which is a video game that takes place in a post nuclear apocalyptic wasteland and it also deals with survival in an apocalypse and survival of the strongest. One last novel I will mention that is also similar to The Dead and the Gone is Metro 2033 a novel and video game by Dmitry Glukhovsky, it takes place in a post nuclear apocalyptic Russia where the survivor live in the underground metros of Russia, it is similar because it also deals with survival in an apocalypse and survival of the strongest.
By: Susan Beth Pfeffer
I chose this book because I had already read the first book of the series, and I felt that it would be a good idea to read another apocalyptic themed book, and I thought Life as We Knew It was good.
The genres this book best fits into into:
I think the genres this book best fits into are both science fiction and young adult. When most people think of something being science fiction they think of things like aliens, space, advanced technology, and things like that but really it doesn’t take much to make something science fiction, the reason that this book is a science fiction book is that it deals with the science of what would happen if something where to move the moon closer to earth. Some of the things that put this book in the young adult genre are that the main characters are mostly in their teens and are trying to survive this unexpected apocalyptic event, and Alex (the main character) must watch over his younger sisters and learn to be more responsible.
Plot summary:
This book begins with a 17 year old boy named Alex living out his life normally like everyone else. That all changed when a meteor hit the moon and knocked it closer to earth causing global chaos dangerous tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, food shortages, and wide spread disease do to hospital efficiency dropping. Alex’s parents both go missing leaving him responsible for taking care of his two younger sisters as New York falls into chaos and if it becomes necessary find a way for them to escape from it.
Three Major Characters:
Alex Morales: He is a 17 year boy of Puerto Rican descent who lives in New York and wail his dad was in Puerto Rico for his grandmother’s funeral and his mom was on a subway to the hospital for her job as an operating room technician the meteor hit the moon and they are presumed dead so he was left in charge of protecting his sisters and keeping them safe from all the new dangers presented by the moon. Like most everyone else he tried denying that things wouldn’t get back to normal at first but like most he eventually admitted to himself that things wouldn’t. As things continue to go from bad to worse Alex found it harder and harder to take care of his sisters and along the way he became more responsible, but he began blaming himself for the things that happened to him and his sisters.
Julie Morales: She is a 12 year girl and one of Alex’s two younger sisters so she is also of Puerto Rican descent and she also lives with Alex in New York. Before the meteor hit she was spoiled and complained a lot so she had a harder time adapting to the new way of life caused by the meteor. She still complained after the meteor but not as much according to Alex. Julie was the first to give up on believing that their parents were still alive and was the least religious of the three of them. After her school has the students start gardening, she becomes very fond of it and is devastated when all the plants in the garden died because of the ash covering the sky blocking out the sun.
Briana Morales (Bri): She is a 14 year girl and Alex’s other younger sisters so she is also of Puerto Rican descent and she also lives with Alex and Julie in New York. She is more responsible than Julie and does not complain as much she is also the most religious of the three of them and never gave up on believing that their parents were still alive. She is sent to a convent by Alex so he and Julie would have more food to eat and she would be fed by the nuns there while she was staying there. Eventually Bri gets asthma wail at the convent and is sent home by the nuns at the convent who belived due to her asthma she would be better off with Alex and Julie then working at the convent which was already having problems due to the lack of sun light to grow plants with.
Themes and big ideas:
Surviving in an apocalypse, this idea is present in the fact that the characters are fighting against the odds for their survival hoping thing will come along and save them in this world were hope becomes harder and harder to keep. Another idea present in this book is survival of the strongest and most important because as things such as food and warmth become more and more scarce the weak who cannot obtain these things begin to die off wail the strong survive and scavenge these things and the important people just have things given to them. Another idea present in this book is the effect of an apocalypse on teens and how it can change the way they think and cause them to become more responsible sooner than they would under normal circumstances. Not giving up on hope, is also an idea present in this book as they continued to hold onto hope and they continued to survive with the help of that hope that so many had lost.
Major conflict:
The whole conflict begins when a meteor hits the moon and unexcitingly nocks it closer to earth causing global disasters and probably causing the death of the more than half the human population. The conflict this book focuses on is Alex trying to protect his two younger sisters Bri and Julie from the dangers created by the now closer to earth moon and also trying to keep them alive until they could take care of themselves or someone trust worthy could take care of them. Throughout the whole story he is trying to find ways to keep himself and his sisters feed and alive. Throughout the story Alex is faced with many difficult decisions that he has to make like when he sent Bri to a convent and when his uncle Jimmy asked to take Julie with him and his wife to help them take care of their kids, and he is always blaming himself for what happens (aside from the meteor hitting the moon).
The symbolism of this picture:
The symbolism present in this picture is that it was the meteor hitting the moon knocking it closer to earth that started all of the disasters and chaos in the first place and if it where for the meteor then the whole story would not have taken place and life as everyone knew it would have continued as usual, but the meteor did exist and it did hit the moon and the moon did get knocked closer to earth causing many people to die and many more to have to try to survive under extreme conditions.
Five new and unusual words:
One new word I found was Onerous, “Not a particularly onerous task, but on that calls for strong legs and heart”, from its usage I believe it means something difficult or a difficult task. Another new word for me was bartering, “He was bartering liquor and cigars”, from its usage I believe it means to trade or exchange things. Another new word I found in this book was one created by the author of the book and that word was fluicide “There were a lot of bodies, and Alex could see, from the height of the piles, that many of them were new dead. Fluicide, he decided. Indefinitely was another new word I found in this book it was on a sign in the book that read, “Food deliveries suspended indefinitely”, by the use of this word I think it means for an unknown amount of time. Another word I found that I have not seen before is aphids, "but today, even moths and aphids sounded appetizing”, from its use I believe it is some sort of bug I have never heard of.
Similar existing works:
There are some existing works out there that have similar themes and ideas to The Dead and the Gone such as Life as We Know It another book by Susan Beth Pfeffer which takes place in the same time as The Dead and the Gone but follows a different group of people trying to survive. Another similar work is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card another science fiction book that is similar because its main character is also in a situation of survival of the strongest. Another similar work is Lord of the Flies by William Golding it deals with a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island trying to survive it is similar because it also deals with survival of the strongest. Another similar work is Fallout which is a video game that takes place in a post nuclear apocalyptic wasteland and it also deals with survival in an apocalypse and survival of the strongest. One last novel I will mention that is also similar to The Dead and the Gone is Metro 2033 a novel and video game by Dmitry Glukhovsky, it takes place in a post nuclear apocalyptic Russia where the survivor live in the underground metros of Russia, it is similar because it also deals with survival in an apocalypse and survival of the strongest.
Link to goodreads review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/430730713
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